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3.42 AVERAGE
3.42 AVERAGE
I’ve had Ten on my shelf since the week it came out but haven’t been able to find the time to get a chance to read it yet. I picked it up because it’s a remix of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None which was a book we read in school that I loved. So of course with this week’s challenge it was a perfect book to read plus I was on vacation and who doesn’t love creepy books while on vacation. Meg and her best friend Minnie have been invited to a house party on Henry Island by Jennifer. It’s not every day that they get an invite after Meg’s the reason that Minnie is no long friends with Jennifer. The girls take a ferry to the Island where they are met by T.J. who is Minnie’s obsession and Meg’s in love with. As Minnie throws herself at the hostess boy toy Ben, Meg is torn between mending the rift between her and T.J. and staying away for Minnie.
When they arrive at the house they learn their hostess won’t be arriving till later the next day but to enjoy the house. Meg doesn’t know all the people but learns that they are students from another school. After dinner they attempt to watch a movie but without satellite they end up watching a home movie that says don’t watch me. The movie sends a few of the girls into an uproar as it calls them out. After the long day the reminders drink a few beers and head to bed. It’s when Meg wakes up to potty that she finds Lori’s body hanging with a suicide note. Little did they know at the time it was just the start to a weekend of Terror. As the body count rises Meg will be the one to solve who the killer is and why but will it be too late?
I like Meg she’s a genuinely good person which is rare especially one who will put her life on hold for her best friend. She’s the good girl you can’t help liking even if she’s given up the guy for her friend. Plus she’s smart a writer which is always a plus having a character you can relate to (not that I’m a writer). I honestly suspected everyone in the house for a while so I didn’t connect with them only because I thought they all were the killer.
I jumped right into Ten with high expectations what I got was an entertaining story. The concept however not original was well done. I like the way the story flowed along the killing was done tastefully not all at once but spread out well. I like Meg she's a great character but her Bestie is crazy and would drive me to move across the country far away from her too. The supporting characters have personalities which I liked the author gave them all a voice before most of them died. I found the story full of suspense and mystery keeping you on the edge of your seat till the end. I found the author's writing style reminded me of R.L. Stine & Christopher Pike so of course I gobbled the book up within a few hours. I really enjoyed the new take on the classic I think the author did a great job. I'm really excited to check out her other books.
When they arrive at the house they learn their hostess won’t be arriving till later the next day but to enjoy the house. Meg doesn’t know all the people but learns that they are students from another school. After dinner they attempt to watch a movie but without satellite they end up watching a home movie that says don’t watch me. The movie sends a few of the girls into an uproar as it calls them out. After the long day the reminders drink a few beers and head to bed. It’s when Meg wakes up to potty that she finds Lori’s body hanging with a suicide note. Little did they know at the time it was just the start to a weekend of Terror. As the body count rises Meg will be the one to solve who the killer is and why but will it be too late?
I like Meg she’s a genuinely good person which is rare especially one who will put her life on hold for her best friend. She’s the good girl you can’t help liking even if she’s given up the guy for her friend. Plus she’s smart a writer which is always a plus having a character you can relate to (not that I’m a writer). I honestly suspected everyone in the house for a while so I didn’t connect with them only because I thought they all were the killer.
I jumped right into Ten with high expectations what I got was an entertaining story. The concept however not original was well done. I like the way the story flowed along the killing was done tastefully not all at once but spread out well. I like Meg she's a great character but her Bestie is crazy and would drive me to move across the country far away from her too. The supporting characters have personalities which I liked the author gave them all a voice before most of them died. I found the story full of suspense and mystery keeping you on the edge of your seat till the end. I found the author's writing style reminded me of R.L. Stine & Christopher Pike so of course I gobbled the book up within a few hours. I really enjoyed the new take on the classic I think the author did a great job. I'm really excited to check out her other books.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I knew it! I knew "it" was the killer. Well not really but still. ;)
My initial and only thought after finishing this book:
TEN by Gretchen McNeil is a retelling or more appropriately a reimagining of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, only this time it’s about teenagers and as a result wayyyyy pettier.
I read this book super quickly, as I do most mystery/thrillers. The suspense was built really well and it left me on the edge of my seat even though, from the synopsis and my prior knowledge of the original work, I more or less knew what was coming. I really liked the idea of a modern day take on one of my favourite books but I wasn’t a particular fan of a lot of the deviations McNeil took.
- 1) The character’s previously knowing each other before getting to the island. (best friends and exes and crushes)
- 2) People didn’t die for good enough reasons. Yes, I know technically there is never a good reason to murder someone but this is fiction and in Christie’s original work the motivation the murderer had was one of the most satisfying parts of the novel and in that aspect, this novel really fell flat.
- 3) Innocent people dying for no other reason than to further the romance plot
- 4)
- 5) Pointless and annoying addition of romance
- 6) Even more pointless and even more annoying addition of a love triangle and as a result, best friends competing for the same guy. Listen, I’m not against female’s arguing but arguing over a guy? I’m honestly just bored. I’m so sick of reading about it. Girls have bigger things to worry about than “stealing” their best friends crush. The female friendships in my life are the purest things I have ever experienced. @Authors be original. Write about that.
Other than the deviations, I also found myself cringing at some of the passages in this book. It felt like the author was trying way too hard to relate to the teens or whatever and as a result, ended up going way over the top.
For example: “Meg desperately fought the urge to roll her eyes at the nacho-cheesiness of his line, but it was like crack for Minnie.”
“Then he grabbed her around the waist and started to freak her like a dog in heat.” (WTF does that even mean?????)
Also, the way mental illness was portrayed in this was questionable. The way the main character, Meg, talked about her best friends bipolar disorder made me super uncomfortable.
“Meg could hear the panic in her voice and prayed Minnie had actually packed her medications. If she didn’t this wouldn’t end well.” – She’s more worried about avoiding a scene than the well being of her friend the entirety of the novel. She also complained a lot about taking care of her. She would make it seem like she was a burden and it was never disproved or talked about.
All my complaints aside I enjoyed reading what I would classify as the slasher part of this novel. I mean, I love slasher stories and their specific brand of tropey- ness. My only criteria for slasher stories are 1) everything connecting after the big reveal 2) not predictable 3) lots of main character deaths.
Was this book superficial and cringey at times? Yes. Did it also have me on the edge of my seat? Yes, yes it did. This book has its problems but it was also published in 2012. If you can manage to be a little less nitpicky than I am and you like a good slasher story, I’d say give this one a try. Also, as a word of advice, this is way better when you don’t compare it to And Then There Were None.
Spoiler
KILL OFF MAIN CHARACTERS, YOU COWARDSTEN by Gretchen McNeil is a retelling or more appropriately a reimagining of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, only this time it’s about teenagers and as a result wayyyyy pettier.
I read this book super quickly, as I do most mystery/thrillers. The suspense was built really well and it left me on the edge of my seat even though, from the synopsis and my prior knowledge of the original work, I more or less knew what was coming. I really liked the idea of a modern day take on one of my favourite books but I wasn’t a particular fan of a lot of the deviations McNeil took.
- 1) The character’s previously knowing each other before getting to the island. (best friends and exes and crushes)
- 2) People didn’t die for good enough reasons. Yes, I know technically there is never a good reason to murder someone but this is fiction and in Christie’s original work the motivation the murderer had was one of the most satisfying parts of the novel and in that aspect, this novel really fell flat.
- 3) Innocent people dying for no other reason than to further the romance plot
Spoiler
(ie. Evening up the deaths and making the total number ten, so the author could keep the precious main character and her love interest alive)- 4)
Spoiler
2 survivors…. what happened to their being none???? Honestly, I wouldn’t have minded this so much if the two people that survived were the two best friends… or literally anyone else but the love interest.- 5) Pointless and annoying addition of romance
- 6) Even more pointless and even more annoying addition of a love triangle and as a result, best friends competing for the same guy. Listen, I’m not against female’s arguing but arguing over a guy? I’m honestly just bored. I’m so sick of reading about it. Girls have bigger things to worry about than “stealing” their best friends crush. The female friendships in my life are the purest things I have ever experienced. @Authors be original. Write about that.
Other than the deviations, I also found myself cringing at some of the passages in this book. It felt like the author was trying way too hard to relate to the teens or whatever and as a result, ended up going way over the top.
For example: “Meg desperately fought the urge to roll her eyes at the nacho-cheesiness of his line, but it was like crack for Minnie.”
“Then he grabbed her around the waist and started to freak her like a dog in heat.” (WTF does that even mean?????)
Also, the way mental illness was portrayed in this was questionable. The way the main character, Meg, talked about her best friends bipolar disorder made me super uncomfortable.
“Meg could hear the panic in her voice and prayed Minnie had actually packed her medications. If she didn’t this wouldn’t end well.” – She’s more worried about avoiding a scene than the well being of her friend the entirety of the novel. She also complained a lot about taking care of her. She would make it seem like she was a burden and it was never disproved or talked about.
Spoiler
Minnie, the best friend, just ended up dying……Spoiler
Okay, listen, I’m not going to go into a big rant about heteronormativity and all the problematic messages the romance of this book sends but let me just say, the two romantic interests being the only people to survive is cheap as fuck.All my complaints aside I enjoyed reading what I would classify as the slasher part of this novel. I mean, I love slasher stories and their specific brand of tropey- ness. My only criteria for slasher stories are 1) everything connecting after the big reveal 2) not predictable 3) lots of main character deaths.
Was this book superficial and cringey at times? Yes. Did it also have me on the edge of my seat? Yes, yes it did. This book has its problems but it was also published in 2012. If you can manage to be a little less nitpicky than I am and you like a good slasher story, I’d say give this one a try. Also, as a word of advice, this is way better when you don’t compare it to And Then There Were None.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Plot twist at the end of the book, faked death
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence
Minor: Gore
Race and LGBTQ references
DNF. I got this back when the author was all the rage. Finally started it a couple weeks ago and found myself bored to death. Info dumping whiny pointless drama about people I couldn't care less about. It felt uneven and inconsistent. I persevered until they met the boys at the island and couldn't be arsed to read another eye roll worthy word.
I read this on the tail end of re-reading "And Then There Were None" (book club pick) to get a comparison and of course it goes without saying Christie is superior. Not that the book wasn't suspenseful but it was but in a sense it was like reading a horror movie. Meaning none of the characters, even the main one were particularly sympathetic so you didn't get a connection to any of them really. And it doesn't end like the Christie one does I guess because that may be considered too "dark" for teenager standards but the murders themselves were pretty gruesome.
I kind of guessed the killer but the reason why was a surprise if somewhat clichéd. Overall it's a quick enjoyable read but not necessarily something I would re-read again. Although if I do end up becoming a teacher something I may have in my classroom library for kids to read since if nothing else it may encourage them to read. ^_^
I kind of guessed the killer but the reason why was a surprise if somewhat clichéd. Overall it's a quick enjoyable read but not necessarily something I would re-read again. Although if I do end up becoming a teacher something I may have in my classroom library for kids to read since if nothing else it may encourage them to read. ^_^
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
And Then Ther Were None but a weird romance and a lot of high school drama! Yeah! also the audio kept cutting out at the end of the chapters? Idk if it’s a recording problem or my app.